Such a busy time I have had today. I am glad to be sitting down at last.

I thought that I would make an early start up the allotment, but as usual got side tracked.

I spent most of the morning digging up a row of Colleen early potatoes and they are just beautiful. I also had a couple of Robinta plants that I dug up too. I filled a potato sack – not a 25kg but a smaller one so I don’t know how much they weighed. I didn’t get time to take any photos, but will try and do so tomorrow.

Before I headed home, I then spent an hour or so spreading a huge compost bin of last year’s horse manure, now really well rotted, over the bed that has the rhubarb, gooseberries and young asparagus plants. It will serve to keep the weeds down, and give them all a good feed, and also hold any rainfall (if it ever comes) and help to prevent the evaporation of it.

The compost was really wet, which was a surprise. I expected it to be damp underneath, but not sodden. The ground is so dry and like concrete, it will do them a power of good. It looked really great when I had finished it – but I was exhausted. Pat phoned whilst I was puffing and panting having just finished doing it. Very heavy work!

Once again the chooks kept me company, but I had to put them in their run whilst I was muck spreading as they got in the way and dived on every barrow load and were in danger of getting ‘speared’ when I was spreading it. They will have a good rummage in it tomorrow. They are still laying three lovely big strong eggs, so I reckon that the egg eating episode is over and done with.

This afternoon I made some Loganberry and Raspberry seedless jam with the fruit I picked yesterday – just over four pounds. Tonight I spent hours top and tailing 16 pounds of gooseberries. About half of it I us to make some seedless gooseberry jam, and the rest I will freeze for later until I can get some more jars. I am thinking that I will put an advert in a couple of the village shops.

I picked more courgettes today, and gave some to my friends, but there will be so many on the next weeks. So many thanks to Redwitch, and Karen for the recipes. I might use rusks instead of bread – I have lots of it after ordering some for my sausage making, and there was a minimum order – which will last me for years, so I am thinking up ways of using it.

I must go and strain off some more gooseberries that have been cooking whilst I have been typing this.

Til tomorrow then.